Definition: Beaujolais

[boh-zhuh-LAY] The Beaujolais area, located in the southern part of France's Burgundy region, starts just north of Lyons and extends for about 35 miles north to the city of Mâcon. Beaujolais is different from most of Burgundy because of its focus on the Gamay grape for its red wines, instead of Pinot Noir. As with many of the France's regions, years of experience have proven which grape is best for an area, and for the granite-laden hills of Beaujolais, it's Gamay. To date, no other location in the world has been able to produce Gamay-based wines as well as Beaujolais. Most of the wines from Beaujolais are red, with tiny amounts of rosé and white. Beaujolais winemakers employ a different red winemaking process called macération carbonique (see carbonic maceration), a technique used during primary fermentation to make light red wines with intense color, a fresh fruity flavor, and low tannins-in short, a wine that can be drunk early.